Kanu Behl’s ‘Agra’ to have world premiere at Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes

After hard-hitting ‘Titli’ in 2014, director Kanu Behl is back with his second Hindi feature film, ‘Agra’, which is all set to have its world premiere at the upcoming Directors’ Fortnight, an independent section of the Cannes Film Festival 2023.

‘Agra’, starring ‘Aashiqui’ actor Rahul Roy, is the only Indian feature film in the lineup this year. The festival will be held from May 16 to May 27, 2023. His debut film, ‘Titli’ was also premiered in the 2014 ‘Cannes Un Certain Regard’ section and went on to win eight major international awards, including the NETPAC and the Best First Foreign Film (2015) from the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics.

Behl, who studied film direction at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata, has explored sexual dynamics within the family in ‘Agra’.

“ ‘Agra’ has been a deeply personal and difficult exploration for me, a deep dive into the inner entrails of desire and male sexual repression and an attempt to understand the hoodoo. I’m overjoyed that the film is beginning its journey at Director’s Fortnight and I hope it opens a conversation around sexuality and the ‘homes’ we choose to live in, as it reaches a wider audience,” said Kanu, who had previously assisted Dibaker Banerjee on the cult hit ‘Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!’ and also co-wrote ‘Love Sex Aur Dhokha’.

The film also stars Priyanka Bose (actor in the Oscar-nominated film ‘Lion’), Vibha Chibber, Sonal Jha and Aanchal Goswami in pivotal roles.